Gagik Melikyan: RA CC decision produced cold shower effect on Turkish
authorities
22.01.2010 15:09 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ RA Constitutional Court’s decision produced a cold
shower effect on many circles, including the Turkish authorities,
which have always sought to impose preconditions upon Armenia, said
Gagik Melikyan, MP from the Republican Party of Armenia.
`By its decision, Armenia’s Constitutional Court proved that Protocols
contain no precondition and are aimed at establishing diplomatic ties
and opening border between Armenia and Turkey,’ he told a news
conference organized jointly with ARFD group parliamentarian Artsvik
Minasyan.
`Even if RA CC had found Protocols non-conformable to Armenia’s
Constitution, Turkey would have accused Armenia of protracting the
ratification process,’ Gagik Melikyan said, adding that Ankara signed
Protocols under international community’s pressure and cannot avoid
fulfilling its obligations.
At that, he noted that Armenia will never sign the Kars Treaty or
renounce the international recognition of Armenian Genocide.
`Turkish authorities will not force us into renouncing our
Constitution,’ he stressed.
The Protocols aimed at normalization of bilateral ties and opening of
the border between Armenia and Turkey were signed in Zurich by
Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian and his Turkish
counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu on October 10, 2009, after a series of
diplomatic talks held through Swiss mediation.
On January 12, 2010, the Constitutional Court of the Republic of
Armenia found the protocols conformable to the country’s Organic Law.
The Treaty of Kars was singed on October 13, 1923 between Turkey and
Transcaucasian republics. It consisted of a preamble, 20 articles and
3 appendices.
The treaty was a successor treaty to the earlier Treaty of Moscow of
March 1921 and established contemporary borders between Turkey and the
South Caucasus states. It was signed in Kars on October 13, 1921 and
ratified in Yerevan on September 11, 1922.
Most of the territories ceded to Turkey in the treaty were acquired by
Imperial Russia from the Ottoman Empire during the Russo-Turkish War
of 1877-1878. The only exception was the Surmalu region which was
annexed by Russia in the Treaty of Turkmenchay after the last
Russo-Persian War with Iran.
The treaty provided for the territory of the former Russian Batum
District of the Kutaisi Governorate to be divided. The northern half,
with the port city of Batumi, was ceded by Turkey to the Soviet Union.
The southern half, with the city of Artvin, would be annexed by
Turkey. It was agreed that the northern half would be granted autonomy
within Soviet Georgia. It eventually evolved into the Adjar Autonomous
Soviet Socialist Republic (today Adjara). Additionally, Turkey was
also guaranteed a "free transit through the port of Batum for
commodities and all materials destined for, or originating in, Turkey,
without customs duties and charges, and with the right for Turkey to
utilize the port of Batum without special charges."
The treaty also created a new boundary between Turkey and Soviet
Armenia, defined by the Akhurian and Aras Rivers. Turkey obtained from
Armenia most of the former Kars Oblast of Russian Empire. The treaty
required Turkish troops to withdraw from an area roughly corresponding
to the western half of Armenia’s present-dayShirak Province (including
Alexandropol (Gyumri).
The document specified that the region of Nakhchivan (a territory
comprising the Nakhchivan and Sharur part of Sharur-Daralagez uyezds
of former Erivan Governorate of Russian Empire) was an autonomous
territory under the protection of Azerbaijan. In 1924, Nakhchivan
Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was formed on this territory as
an exclave subordinate to Azerbaijan SSR, and sharing a 15-km boundary
with now Turkish district of Surmalu. [1] It was also agreed that both
Turkey and Russia would become guarantors of Nakhchivan’s status
The Republican Party of Armenia is a national conservative political
party in Armenia. It was the first political party in independent
Armenia to be founded (2 April 1990) and registered (14 May 1991). It
is the largest party of the centre-right in Armenia, and claims to
have 140,000 members. The party controls most government bodies in
Armenia.
At the 2003 parliamentary elections on May 25, the party received
23.5% of the popular vote, winning 31 out of 131 seats. At the last
parliamentary elections on May 12, 2007, the party received 33.91% of
the popular vote, winning 64 out of 131 seats. The former prime
minister, Andranik Markaryan, was the leader of the party. Current
President of Armenia, Serzh Sargsyan, is the chairman of RPA board.